Our Buying Policy

Crop Drop operates the following Buying Policy to ensure we're making the most sustainable, ethical choices when we're buying and selling produce:

We only sell organic produce – mainly Soil Association certified, but we also buy from small urban growers who are working towards certification

No air-freighted or hothouse produce

We sell produce that is grown as locally as possible.

In practice what this means is we operate a hierarchy of purchasing:

Our first priority is to obtain produce from our London growers when available and suitable for the bags.

Our second priority is to buy direct from local and regional farmers for produce that can be grown in the UK

When there's not enough available from our direct suppliers we buy UK-grown produce from our wholesalers.

Then we source produce from Europe, either when UK crops are in short supply or for produce that cannot be grown in the UK at all (e.g. oranges, kiwis, avocados).

We don't buy any produce from outside Europe except bananas – we consider these to be a staple item (it's one of the most popular items bought in supermarkets) that is extremely difficult to source within Europe. We therefore buy these from outside Europe from a certified Organic and Fairtrade source who transport the produce by ship.

This framework helps us towards our ultimate goal of supporting the development of a healthy, fair and resilient food system that will feed us long into the future. It also ensures we're getting the best quality and freshest produce available - the majority of the food we trade has travelled the shortest distance possible, is picked to order, harvested and delivered within two days.

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This veg box scheme was launched with help from the Growing Communities Start-up Programme which aims to transform the food system by helping people set up local, sustainable vegetable box schemes across the country.

This veg box scheme was launched with help from the Growing Communities Start-up Programme which aims to transform the food system by helping people set up local, sustainable vegetable box schemes across the country.